Joseph Azzolina

Joseph Azzolina (26 January 1926-15 April 2010) was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1966 to 1972, 1986 to 1988, and 1992 to 2006. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Biography
Joseph Azzolina was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1926, the son of Sicilian immigrant parents who arrived in the United States during the 1920s; he was raised in Highlands in Monmouth County. He served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1947, and he later achieved the rank of Captain in the Navy Reserves, from which he retired in 1986. In 1955, Azzolina founded Foodtown, a supermarket cooperative, and served as its president for several years. Azzolina served in the General Assembly from 1966 to 1972, 1986 to 1988, and 1992 to 2006 as a Republican Party member, and he supported $250 property tax deductions for veterans and creating a central registry for all criminals. He lost the GOP primary in 2005 to Amy Handlin, who succeeded him, and he died of pancreatic cancer in 2010. The bridge connecting Sea Bright to Highlands was called the "Captain Joseph Azzolina Memorial Bridge" in his honor.